


Release

by ab2fsycho



Series: Hold My Tea and Watch This [28]
Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: M/M, a little bit of arguing in my life, a little bit of fighting by my side, a little bit of make-up sex is all i see, a little bit of violence is all i need, shut up alex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-21
Updated: 2013-08-21
Packaged: 2017-12-24 05:50:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/936143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ab2fsycho/pseuds/ab2fsycho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack and Pitch confront one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Release

**Author's Note:**

> And now an inspirational conversation that stemmed from the writing of this section.
> 
> twofacedpsycho: PITCH IS BEING AN ASSHOLE  
> borospaladin: THE SKY IS BLUE MOTHERFUCKER

Jack woke up to the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning. His eyes shot open, and he was soon grateful for the dreamless sleep. He remembered where he was and what had happened. He grabbed his hoodie, staring and checking for stains. He stared down at his hands, touched his face, rubbed his neck. No blood. It was gone. He worked his jaw. Yes, it was still sore from what he had come to believe was Rin’s signature move. Jack didn’t think he could ever get used to the guy’s love for biting.

A loud crack made him jump and shove himself under the . . . leaf? Leaves could really get that big? He stopped questioning it. He settled with being merely grateful for the cover from the rain. “Pitch?” he asked.

“Here,” the Boogeyman spoke up from behind. 

Jack jumped again, unaware that there was even someone behind him. He supposed he should be used to Pitch’s rather stalker-like tendencies by now, but there were times when he still caught Jack by surprise. That wasn’t hard when Jack was already shaky. “Try not to scare me for a bit, okay?” Jack was at least hoping for a quip or smirk, but no. Pitch just stared up at the sky.

“Beautiful, isn’t she. When she’s enraged.” Jack said nothing in response. He just followed Pitch’s gaze up into the storm. Jack glimpsed back at the Nightmare King, Pitch’s expression despondent and bordering . . . depressed. Jack couldn’t recall seeing Pitch this sad. He’d seen him emotional. He’d seen him angry. He’d seen just about everything in Pitch, even the slightest hint of . . . he didn’t want to use the word love, but it worked. But he’d never seen this amount of sorrow.

He realized now may not be the best time, but he had to ask. “What happened? Between the two of you?” Pitch still stared unblinkingly at the sky, almost as if he didn’t hear Jack. Or maybe he was ignoring the question. Figures. “Pitch, are you ever going to answer me?” He suddenly felt like he was talking to the moon again. Expressionless, silent, unyielding, and no comfort to be found whatsoever. Suddenly, he was feeling his own sadness creeping back in. There was something about silence that unnerved him. That something, of course, was the reminder that there’d been nothing but silence for him for three hundred years. He’d never taken not being seen lightly. Eventually it had jaded him, but now it just angered him. He felt his hands start shaking as he struggled to hide his upset from Pitch. Pitch would feel it though. Eventually, he would feel it. Jack just didn’t want that now. He wanted answers, but he wasn’t going to get them. “Where are the others?”

“They have their own shelter somewhere off.” Oh, now he answers Jack. That only fueled Jack’s anger. He glanced about, locating his staff. He went to grab it, but thought better of it. He shouldn’t wield his staff while water was falling from the sky. He’d turn into an ice cube, and then he’d need Pitch’s help again, and then he’d have to deal with that guilt again, and the last thing he needed . . . .

He calmed down before Rin’s thrumming started up and he lost control of his body again. Another thing he just didn’t need. It bothered him that he was suddenly so angry with Pitch, but he couldn’t really help it. He was tired of not being among those who knew what the hell was up. That recent encounter with the plague spirits had only confused him more, and he just needed clarity. But no one was willing to give him that clarity.

He knew Pitch cared for him, but he hadn’t realized just how little he trusted Jack. Only at that thought did Jack’s sudden rage make sense. He was more hurt than angry, but again, Pitch didn’t need to know that now. So he stood up and stepped into the rain, looking for the other Guardians.

“What are you doing?” And now Pitch was going to ask him questions. Great.

“Finding the others.” The rain was cold, but that didn’t bother him. It was leaving a thin layer of frost over his body, but was also dissolving rather quickly.

“You started to freeze over in the rain earlier. You shouldn’t be—.”

“I’ve travelled through rain for three hundred years. I know what will turn me into a popsicle and what won’t.”

For a moment, Jack thought Pitch was going to leave him alone. In fact, he hoped for it. He didn’t want to argue, but he knew that he would if Pitch pushed him. And Pitch didn’t realize how close to the edge he was. So when the Boogeyman manifested in front of him, Jack grunted in aggravation. He thought Pitch’s lair was full of shadows, but Mother Nature’s domain seemed to be even worse. “You’re upset about something,” Pitch stated the obvious.

“Yeah, you ignore my questions. I thought I was done being ignored, but no.”

“I am not ready to talk, Jack.”

“Then say that! Don’t just sit there and let me think you don’t trust me.” Pitch’s face fell briefly. Jack squinted, knowing it wasn’t remorse he was seeing in his partner. “You don’t, do you?” Pitch didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. Pitch’s silence was more telling than his words at times, and this silence sealed Jack’s concerns in place. He’d been right after all. He hated being right, because he usually thought the worst. “All this time you’ve been asking me if I trusted you. I should’ve been the one asking.” He sidestepped Pitch, then continued walking.

“Jack, you don’t understand—.”

“I don’t understand what?” he spun around and shouted at Pitch. “Not having your family there for you? Being completely alone? I don’t know what loss feels like?” Pitch’s eyes were wide at Jack’s outburst. Jack exhaled heavily, then quickly inhaled upon realizing what they were doing. “Haven’t we had this conversation before?”

“And look how well that one turned out!” Pitch’s own fury ignited at the memory of Antarctica.

“You know what? Look how well all of this turned out! I mean . . . I’m standing in the rainforest, getting rained on no less, with a second personality and a partner whose daughter hates him and tried to tenderize me. Like meat!”

“Yes, my daughter hates me. And why? Because of Guardians like you, always interfering in my business.”

Though it stung to hear Pitch say that, Jack was too angry to let that stop him ranting. “You don’t exactly stay out of our business, you know. Just how many wars have you been in, old man?”

“More than I can count, and not all of them were fought against you. My age and my experience should terrify you.”

“And yet a newb like me handed your ass to you. Oh the horror!”

They were stepping closer to each other as the shouting continued, they’re arms and facial expressions growing more animated. “Thank you for the reminder! It’s your fault I’m still hiding under beds!”

“And it’s your fault I’m even a Guardian. I wasn’t chosen until you showed your face again!”

“I’m the reason you have believers! And what have you given me, Jack Frost? A headache and a new sense of terror!”

“Everything! I have given you everything!”

“And what exactly is everything?!”

“My trust, my faith, I’ve given you myself for Manny’s sake! I have given you my love, you’ve seen my pain and you know my fears better than I do, and you can’t even give me an answer!” There was a pause as they realized what Jack just admitted to Pitch. Jack breathed heavily, his heart pounding from the argument. Pitch just stared, his eyes wide. If Jack wasn’t so ready to cry from his exacerbation with Pitch, he would laugh at how the tables had turned on them. Jack continued speaking before he lost his thought. “I almost lost everything for you, including my Guardianship. What’s more, neither of us are alone anymore? Why do you keep acting like you are?”

Pitch was silent. This time, his silence didn’t bother Jack as much. His anger drained, leaving him with a heightened sense of sadness. Pitch was looking right at him, but he almost felt like his Boogeyman could walk right through him if he wanted to. He felt invisible again.

Pitch gasped like he’d been holding his breath, his eyes losing focus for a moment. He looked like the one who’d been hit with a hammer, not Jack. When he finally refocused on Jack, Jack was stunned to see just how much sorrow had returned to his gaze. “Because it’s all I’ve ever known.”

Jack gave a half-hearted snort. “At least you remember a life before this.”

Pitch’s eyes fluttered shut. When they opened again, he was staring at the ground. “Just barely. Enough to regret.”

Jack’s heart stopped. “Pitch, I—.”

“No. Stop. It’s my turn to stop you. I don’t want your pity. I don’t want your false reassurance. I don’t want your misguided promises. One day, you will leave. You’re all the same!”

Jack felt the tears forming in his eyes as Pitch’s words sank in. He wanted to fight. Manny knew, he wanted to fight. But he couldn’t even summon the energy to clench his fists let alone argue back. He just stared at Pitch, whose face remained stern, almost unfeeling. Almost. He could see the weight of the words Pitch had just spoken bearing down on the Nightmare King’s shoulders. Jack asked, “Then why didn’t you just let me die?” At least Pitch’s eyes twitched, as if the thought just might give him pause. 

Jack Frost and Pitch Black stood toe to toe, eyes locked, arms limp, completely solid. Neither moved. Neither thought they could. Jack waited. He waited for Pitch to speak, say something, break the silence. He didn’t know what to expect, but he certainly didn’t expect what passed through Pitch’s lips. The words were flat and cold. “Why didn’t I?”

He couldn’t remember ever feeling so devastated. Jack felt like he was breaking from the inside out. And in that devastation, he found his rage once more. No Rin this time. This rage was completely Jack.

Jack grit his teeth as indistinguishable noises escaped him. He charged Pitch, wrestling him to the ground. Thirsting for physical violence, he was satisfied to feel Pitch fighting back beneath him. He prepared to choke Pitch, but the bigger man flipped him onto his back and held him down by his hair. He could’ve easily pinned Jack by the wrists. That would’ve forced the boy into a submissive state faster than anything else Pitch could’ve done, but he avoided Jack’s wrists still. The consideration just made Jack’s thirst rise. He shouted angrily, jabbing Pitch in the side where his injuries had been only a little while ago. Pitch gasped and released Jack’s hair. Jack saw his window of opportunity and took it, pulling his legs from under Pitch’s and placing his feet on the Boogeyman’s chest. Using all the strength he had, he kicked Pitch off of him. The Nightmare King landed a few feet in front of him.

Both got to their feet swiftly. From the shadows, Pitch pulled his scythe. Jack’s fury mounted as he charged the Boogeyman anyway. Suddenly, Jack felt his limbs start to weigh him down. The more he struggled, the heavier he got. Eventually, his limbs were so heavy that he was on all fours on the ground, still fighting to move forward. When he remembered Pitch’s ability to control his body through Rin, he wanted to scream. Pitch was thorough though. He kept Jack silent, on the ground, unable to move or retaliate. He could still see, though. He watched as Pitch raised his scythe and was prepared to feel its bite. He even dared Pitch to do it with his eyes.

For a man who supposedly cared deeply for Jack, Pitch looked ready to kill him. Jack was ready for it. He understood. Honestly, he would kill him too. He gave Pitch everything, injuries and pain included. Pitch should hate him more than he should trust or love him. Jack would understand if Pitch sank the blade of his scythe into Jack’s back. So why was Pitch lowering his weapon? Why was it dissolving in his hands? Why was he staring down at Jack like he’d just broken something fragile?

“What are we doing?” he asked. The weight didn’t subside, so Jack couldn’t answer. He just continued looking up at Pitch. “What have I done?” Then Pitch was on his knees in front of him, and Jack still couldn’t move or speak. He wanted to, and he wanted to be angry again. Unfortunately, his rage was subsiding and being replaced with aching. Pitch’s facial expression didn’t help the situation. Something about it made Jack forget that they’d just tried to throttle each other. Pitch stared into Jack’s eyes, and Jack’s rage melted completely. Pitch looked like he was in absolute agony. “You look so guilty. Every time I look at you, you look so guilt-ridden. But who’s really at fault in this?” Pitch was starting to sound frustrated again when the weight suddenly lifted. Jack gasped, but it wasn’t long before Pitch grabbed one of his arms. He expected to be pinned. He expected to be attacked, but instead the Nightmare King just yanked the sleeve up to reveal Rin’s mark. Pitch shouted, “How can you trust me when I did this to you?”

Jack didn’t have a definitive answer for Pitch. They just stared at one another. The raindrops felt heavier than before, as if each sphere of water felt just as ignored as Jack had at the start of this argument. Jack suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe, and for once it wasn’t because Pitch was gripping his wrist. He could’ve told Pitch many things. He could’ve told him to leave him alone, as he’d done at Antarctica. He could’ve asked him how it felt not to have an answer, just as he’d done the very day they’d gotten together. He could’ve reassured him that it wasn’t his fault, as he’d wanted to do so many times while recovering from the attack that had left him with Rin. But he said none of those things. Instead, he said, “You’ve had plenty of chances to hurt me. Instead, you end up helping or even saving me. You don’t think that’s reason enough to trust someone?”

Pitch said nothing. They just maintained the eye contact, both expressionless. Neither drew in a single breath. They were completely and utterly still in the rain, which only seemed to grow louder as the silence dragged on. Thunder clapped in the distance. Not a single sound escaped them or the forest as time felt like it had stilled. Pitch’s black and Jack’s blue seemed washed out in the dark of the storm. The only color other than green they seemed to acknowledge was the blue and yellow of their eyes, still locked on each other. Jack didn’t even notice Pitch’s grip loosen on his arm at first. Pitch didn’t seem to notice Jack turning his wrist in the Boogeyman’s palm so that he held his hand. At least, Jack thought Pitch didn’t notice until long gray fingers tightened around his pale ones.

Suddenly Jack was being pressed into the ground with Pitch covering every inch of him, smothering Jack’s lips with his own and flooding his cold flesh with warmth. Jack moaned into Pitch’s mouth, inviting him to deepen the kiss. Pitch did, and the last of Jack’s resolve liquefied with the rest of him. He wrapped his arms around Pitch’s neck, holding him closer as Pitch ran a hand under the hem of Jack’s hoodie. Pitch pulled back slightly, leaving Jack’s lips feeling bruised and hot. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“Too bad no one but me heard you say that aloud,” Jack whispered back. And suddenly, Pitch was smiling against his lips. A smile. That was the first smile Jack had seen in a while. It made him smile too before he pressed his lips to his Boogeyman’s, urging him to continue.

And Pitch did. Hungrily. The adrenaline from the fight pumped through Jack, the aching shifting from side to side in his chest as Pitch slid Jack’s hoodie up his torso ever so slowly. Pitch’s lips left Jack’s briefly, the hoodie coming off completely. Jack gasped as Pitch’s lips then assaulted his neck, sending a rush through Jack that reminded him of how much he loved to feel Pitch’s teeth in his skin. The aching in his chest got worse.

Pitch’s arms wrapped around Jack’s torso and pulled him off the ground and onto Pitch’s lap. The heat of Pitch’s skin was smothering him, but at the same time Jack longed to get closer. The ache in his chest only grew with that need. Tears pricked his eyes as their lips met again. Pitch’s arms tightened around Jack’s waist, and somehow the ache got worse. Pitch pulled away briefly, and Jack sucked in a breath of air. Before he knew what he was saying, he said, “Please don’t ignore me.”

One of Pitch’s hands slid up the back of Jack’s neck and into his hair, fingers threading their way through the white strands. Pitch whispered against the winter spirit’s lips, “You’re not invisible, Jack.” He kissed him before adding, “Not to me.” Jack’s chest went from aching to exploding with liberation as he choked on his tears, which frosted on his cheeks. Their grip on each other tightened as their lips locked again.

It wasn’t long before Jack found himself back on the ground, Pitch having used the darkness to teleport them back under their leaf and out of the rain. Jack gasped as he lost track of Pitch’s movement in the dark of the storm, unable to count the seconds it took for his Boogeyman to slip Jack’s pants off and slide into him. The pressure of Pitch’s penetration forced him to bite his fist, stifling his moans in case anyone might hear them. He was surprised to feel Pitch’s influence pulling his hand from between his teeth, the weight of his power over him making him moan even more. Pitch buried his face in Jack’s hair right beneath his ear as their embraces grew tight yet again. Pitch’s hot breath and the thrust of his hips almost sent Jack over the edge right then and there. “Pitch—.”

“Your teeth, Jack. Use them.” Jack was surprised to hear Pitch so desperate for the very things that had killed earlier that day. He obliged, sliding Pitch’s robe from his shoulder and sinking his teeth into the Nightmare King’s shoulder. Pitch growled, retaliating with a bite of his own. Jack’s eyes squeezed shut and his teeth clenched around Pitch’s flesh. This muffled their cries as Pitch dragged his talons down Jack’s shoulder blades and thrust harder, Jack digging his nails into Pitch’s skin. He felt blood seeping from the bite on his neck when Pitch pulled away, but the pain was soothed by Pitch’s tongue.

When they climaxed, Pitch held Jack and kissed him. The kisses softened over time, but their hold on each other remained tight. When their lips were too swollen to continue, Pitch rested his forehead against Jack’s and they gasped for air. Jack became aware of the long scratches Pitch had given him, sensitive to the ground biting into his bare back. Pitch muttered something unintelligible, making Jack breathe out, “What?”

“I do trust you. And that horrifies me,” Pitch admitted.

Jack tightened his arms around him, hoping that it reassured him. It seemed to, because Pitch collapsed on top of him and nuzzled his cheek, the tension in his muscles completely gone. Jack sighed, thankful that the ache in his chest had lifted and the adrenaline was spent. Had the two sensations remained, he might have argued. For now, he was too overwhelmed by the thought of the Nightmare King being afraid to trust him.

And a little surprised at himself for having indirectly told Pitch that he loved him in the midst of their arguing.



They were clothed, soaking wet, and still holding one another when Pitch said, “I overreacted.”

“To what?” Jack asked.

“When the Man in the Moon chose Seraphina for Guardianship. I overreacted.” Pitch took a deep breath, realizing that this would be the first time he spoke of this to someone else. It didn’t feel as terrifying as he thought it would be. Then again, this was Jack. His Jack. His head swam with the reassurance of his Jack’s presence, and his fear almost seemed childish as he began spoke again. “The Guardians would’ve killed me in the Great War several times had she not saved me. Yet she considered herself a neutral party. She only stepped in when she thought it absolutely necessary.” He thought for a moment. “I would’ve succeeded in world domination long before you were created if not for her. Even those arguments hadn’t been as dreadful as the fight that ensued when the Man in the Moon called her to join his precious protectors.” Pitch closed his eyes, unsure if he could go into detail about that fight. Jack’s hand tightened on his, and that seemed to calm him enough for him to continue. “We said many things. Cruel things. The cruelest was when I told her that if she chose them over me . . . then she may as well be dead to me.” He sighed, fighting the words that had sparked and fueled his own nightmares. “There are few things I regret more than saying those words to her.” He sighed again, still struggling against the tightening sensation in his chest. “After that, she left. Told us not to follow her. I did anyway, but only to figure out where she went. Only to ensure that no one else would ever find her.” He rubbed his forehead. “I always thought she’d return if we gave her some time. But she never did. The things I said . . . no child could forgive their father for that.”

“You’d be surprised. Maybe she just wanted you to put forth the effort in patching things up.”

“I should’ve thought about that. She always knew when I was following her before. I don’t see how I could have slipped under her radar that day, especially since she was that upset.” Pitch shook his head. “Then again, she gets her insurmountable pride from me. Had I gone to her, we would have wound up fighting again.”

They were quiet for a few moments. Then Jack asked, “This only made you hate the Guardians more?”

“Of course. As you said, they didn’t just take my believers. They took my family.” His brow furrowed as he grew furious at the very thought of his enemies taking everything he had. “Where do they draw the line? Where?”

“If my calculations are correct, you should’ve been more pissed with the Man in the Moon than with your daughter.” Pitch pinned Jack with a gimlet stare. Then Jack realized something. “Manny sure can be an antagonist, can’t he?”

“You don’t say.”

“He’s probably gonna get back at me for saying that.”

“Or he’ll ignore you.”

“Yeah, that’s his motif.” Jack and Pitch shared a chuckle. Then Jack said, “If I were human, I’d say I was going to hell.”

“I’d have to agree with you there.”

Pitch held Jack closer, the rain having eased up just enough. It was no longer thundering, but the rain persisted. His daughter’s words suddenly rang in his ears: don’t make the same mistake twice. He was certain that he’d almost lost Jack earlier. The pain of that loss would’ve been unbearable. His chest ached at the very thought. Jack had called him out, as Seraphina had done with him on a number of occasions, and he’d responded not so favorably. There was a moment where Pitch almost forgot everything they’d been through together. All he’d seen was the Guardian that had rebuffed him in Antarctica. He shuddered to think how ready he was to kill Jack, and held the boy closer at the thought of being left alone again. Jack had been right about almost everything, though. Pitch still acted like he was alone even when Jack had been standing right in front of him, solid and unwavering. He buried his face in Jack’s hair, inhaling the boy’s scent and reassuring himself that he didn’t have to survive in a world without him. His chest felt full with . . . something at the thought of Jack’s words. He’d given Pitch his love. Whether the emotion he felt was relief, glee, or nervousness, he didn’t know. Maybe it was all three. Maybe it was none. All he knew was that he longed to hear those words again. For now, he was grateful that everything had worked out between Jack and him.

He just wished he’d been able to work things out with Seraphina.

“Thank you,” Jack said. “For telling me. Thank you.”

Pitch smiled against his hair. “I should’ve told you sooner.”

“I do have one more question though.”

Pitch could feel his muscles tighten instinctually, but forced himself to relax. He trusted Jack. He really did. He just found it hard to trump centuries of skepticism. “Go on.”

“What’s Sera’s connection to Pillan? It doesn’t seem like she just imprisoned him. There’s history there.”

Pitch stared at his Jack. He almost smiled at the boy’s observance. He always knew too much. Pitch could always rely on Jack to know too much. “She raised him. He was given to her by the Man in the Moon, and then she was told to destroy him because . . . there was darkness in him. Even when he was a hatchling, everyone knew he would bring destruction.” Pitch’s chest tightened further. “It was the first and only time she ever listened to the Man in the Moon without question. And that beast still respected her enough to give her a warning before sending its spirits after her.”

“Let me guess: you feel like you should’ve known she wouldn’t subject herself to Manny’s will again after that.”

Pitch narrowed his eyes on Jack. “How do you figure these things out? It’s ridiculous.”

“You’re easy to read to those who know you.”

“Am I now?”

“Yes, you are. Right now, you’re about to tell me to—.”

“Shut up,” they said in unison. They smiled again at each other.

“This is where you tell me I know too much and you have to keep me around,” Jack added.

“It seems I don’t need to. You’ve already figured it out for yourself.”

Jack leaned in to kiss him at that, and Pitch felt himself relax against his young Guardian.



The next morning, Sera hardly noticed the condition of the forest after her storm, how green it was and how rejuvenated she felt with it. All she saw were the marks on both Jack’s and Pitch’s necks. Somehow, that was sign enough to her that he’d listened. That left her even more confused than before.

But in the midst of that confusion, she felt something akin to happiness. For once, she didn’t shut it out.

**Author's Note:**

> So this happened.
> 
> Two more updates coming your way.


End file.
